Vol. 30, No.6 November/December 2019

A CHINMAYA MISSION SAN JOSE PUBLICATION MISSION STATEMENT To provide to individuals, from any background, the wisdom of and practical means for spiritual growth and happiness, enabling them to become a positive contributor to the society.

TheC particularhinmaya form that the L greatahari Lord took in the name of Sri Swami Tapovanam has dissolved, and he has gone back to merge into his own Nature. He has now become the Essence in each one of us. Wherever we find the glow of divine compassion, love, purity, and brilliance, there we see Sri Gurudev (Swami Tapovanji) with his ever-smiling face. He has left his sheaths. He has now become the Self in all of us. Ours is a great responsibility. It is not sufficient that only we ourselves evolve–we must learn to release him to visible expression everywhere. It is a glorious chance to take a sacred oath that we shall not rest contented until he is fulfilled.

SWAMI CHINMAYANANDA from My Teacher, Swami Tapovanam CONTENTS Volume 30 No. 6 November/December 2019

From The Editors Desk ...... 2 Chinmaya Tej Editorial Staff ...... 2 We Stand as One Family ...... 3 The Glory of Saṁnāsa ...... 10 The Ethos of Spirituality ...... 13 Friends of Swami Chinmayananda ...... 20 Tapovan Prasad ...... 21 Chinmaya Study Groups ...... 22 Adult Classes at Sandeepany ...... 23 Shiva Abhisheka & Puja ...... 23 Bala Vihar/Yuva Kendra & Language Classes . . . . 24 Gita Chanting Classes for Children ...... 25 Vedanta Study Groups - Adult Sessions ...... 26 Swaranjali Youth Choir ...... 28 BalViHar Magazine ...... 29 Community Outreach Program ...... 30 Receptivity ...... 31 Swami Swaroopananda’s Itinerary ...... 32 FROM THE EDITORS DESK

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CHINMAYA TEJ EDITORIAL STAFF

EDITOR Uma Jeyarasasingam / [email protected] CO-EDITOR Rohini Joshi ELECTRONIC EDITORIAL ADVISOR Satish Joshi CONTRIBUTORS Swami Nikhilananda Saraswati, Swami Tapovanam, Swami DESIGN & LAYOUT four waters media, inc. PRINTING PigMint Press, Redway, CA DATA BASE Kapil Vaish MAILING Autozip, Ukiah, CA WEBSITE & PHONE cmsj.org / (650) 969-4389 We Stand as One Family continued from September/October 2019 issue

We serve as an army courageous and disciplined ever ready to fight against all low tendencies and false values within and without us. Service becomes total, only if we listen to the commands and obey without question. Service makes a person humble but it must be performed with discipline. In the Ramayana, after Sita had concluded her Avatār, Lord Yama came to have dialogue with Rama. The precondition to the talks was that their conversation should be uninterrupted. Anyone interrupting must be given the supreme punishment of death. Such being the gravity of the situation, Rama summoned Lakshmana and explained the whole position to him. He selected him because he knew that he could be implicitly trusted to obey his commands. Just then, as luck would have it, Durvasa Riṣi arrived to meet Sri Rama and wanted instant audience. He refused to be stopped from entering the inner chambers. Durvasa Riṣi was Shiva’s Avatār and had a terrible temper. When Lakshmana stopped him from entering Sri Rama’s chambers his wrath knew no bounds. He threatened to curse all of Ayodhya turning everything to ashes. Lakshmana was in a dilemma. He knew that Durvasa Riṣi was capable of implementing his threat. Ayodhya was dear to Rama and so its safety became Lakshmana’s

BY SWAMI NIKHILANANDA SARASWATI (Central Chinmaya Trust Publications, 2009) 3 concern. He loved Ayodhya as his own mother and so made the supreme sacrifice of offering his life. He saved Ayodhya and spared Rama from the difficult situation of giving the death penalty to a Riṣi. Lakshmana stepped into the chambers. Sri Rama was shocked to see him, because they both knew the consequences. He had given his word and Lord Yama held him to his promise. Lakshmana was dearer to Sri Rama than any one else but he had given his word and the sanctity of the given promise had to be upheld. The Scriptures say that if you disown your loved ones it is like killing them. Lakshmana who had served Sri Rama so faithfully was told to leave. He understood the situation and accepted the verdict. He also knew that Bhagavān was not angry with him. Being so much a part of Sri Rama, Lakshmana felt that his life was futile if he could not serve his master and so gave up his body by taking jal samādhi. When Sri Rama heard of this he too decided to end his Avatār and took Samādhi. The dharma of a sevak is very difficult. People may or may not understand, but Bhagavān understands so we must continue to work for Him. Soldiers in the army go to the front, fully accepting the dangers to life. They even stop bullets with their bodies, in the interest of the country. They give up their lives so that their fellow countrymen can live in peace. They show us how to live courageously, which is how Gurudev wants us to work. Even in the face of adversity we must not give up. We must continue to strive towards our goal. On the spiritual path courage is very important because one may have to face many obstacles. In the 16th Chapter of the Gītā, Bhagavān enumerates the divine qualities and fearlessness heads the list. A person who fears loss, separation or death cannot walk this path. One must have the courage to face and talk to Death, like Nachiketa did. Along with courage there must be discipline as well, because reckless 4 courage like reckless driving can only land us in trouble. Even restraint requires courage. Hanuman was present when Sita was being threatened by Ravana in Ashok Vatika. He could have revealed himself and fought but prudently decided to wait for the right time. And when the time was right he fought valiantly and courageously. “Ever ready to fight” — an army must be vigilant and always alert. Sant Tukaram was a great saint. He claimed to have learned the virtue of alertness from other saints. Gurudev was like that, always alert. He would notice every minute detail, so while serving him we also had to be like him. Once Gurudev decided to check the arrangements being made for the Vishnu Sahasranāma Pūja and even noticed that the lamps were not kept in one single, straight line. The work of the Māhātmās is to discipline us, teach us work culture and keep us alert. If we work with the feeling that Gurudev and the Scriptures are watching over us, we will be more efficient. I met someone who said that, when he is confused he gives himself the ‘Mom Test and Dad Test.’ He asks himself, in the present situation what would my father or mother do and immediately gets the correct answer. We can add to these the Ṣāstra test or the test. Ask yourself, “Would my Guru be happy if I served him in this manner?” If the answer is in the affirmative, then we may continue. If not then we must change our thinking and habits. We must be ever ready to fight. In the Gītā, Bhagavān tells Arjuna that he must be ready to fight for the cause of dharma. The pledge tells us, “to fight against all low tendencies and false values.” These are our enemies. The Gītā says that for a seeker, kāma (desire) and krodha (anger) are deadly enemies. What is it that makes us act against our convictions? 5 Bhagavān says that man’s intense desire is the spark that ignites the fire of anger. Our unsaturated desires are the fuel that feed the forces of anger and frustration, prompting us to perform actions that we may later repent. Bhagavān says that we need not look for our enemies outside ourselves. The Scriptures point to our six hidden enemies - kāma (desire), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (delusion), mada (arrogance) and matsar (jealousy). In life control over kāma and krodha brings us victory. If our desires are not fulfilled we become angry and their fulfillment makes us greedy, wanting more and more. Desires also create delusion in our hearts. If we achieve our goals we become proud and if we feel that the neighbor has more than us, we begin to experience the stirrings of jealousy. Desires, which are in keeping with the fulfillment of our duties, do not create any of these problems. It is irrational desires that need to be rooted out. When our senses go wild they are like enemies. We have to be alert and vigilant and make efforts to uproot wrong desires, make the mind calm and establish it in the Truth. In the Gītā Krishna says, that rāga and dveśa (likes and dislikes) rise in the mind and manifest in our actions. These devils on the seeker’s path are capable of raising their heads at the most unlikely moments. Even from the depths of we can become agitated if a stray thought of the enemy arises in the mind. We have to conquer these twin enemies through sincere effort, proper thinking, sustained satsaṅg, prayer and love. Our prayer to the Lord can be, “Oh Lord cleanse my mind and purify my thoughts.” Missile technology can today precisely pinpoint a target and attack it. Similarly we have to pinpoint our problem, understand it and then attack it. 6 All the anger, hatred and guilt in our hearts is due to non-forgiveness. On examining the irritants stored in our mind we may discover that we have not forgiven even our near and dear ones. We may be carrying grudges against our parents, our spouse or the government. There may be anger towards our clothes, the TV program or against a multitude of other small, inconsequential things. In a heart full of non-forgiveness, all the pūja and japa will be of no avail. First we must come to terms with non-forgiveness and accept the world as it is, only then can there be real progress. Be violent with your negative qualities. Pujya Gurudev used to say, “Hate the sin not the sinner.” Hate their negative qualities because those same negativities are within you as well. Anger is the common enemy, so we need to work towards eliminating anger both within and without. Gurudev said, “Fight against all low tendencies within and without us.” Tendencies are the vasanas we carry from the past. Every experience we have been through is stored in memory. We carry impressions of past lives and our reactions to situations are dictated by these impressions. Sant Jnaneshwar said that even love for God can be attributed to some punya (meritorious deeds), performed in the past. Sometimes we react with fear when faced with an unknown situation possibly due to the memories we have of having faced a similar incident in the past. Anger, fear and jealousy are due to accumulated impressions of wrong actions and incorrect thinking in our past. On examination we find that the mind has certain tendencies. One password to it begins a chain reaction. The train of thoughts effortlessly takes over, 7 leaving us helpless bystanders. This happens because of a samscāra. If we have to speak on Vedanta, we do not have much to say, because we have not done enough thinking on it. But we have meditated deeply on the neighbor’s faults, so when we have to speak on them the flow is effortless. There is so much to say. Habits taking us away from our path are low in nature. Tendencies that create inefficiency in our work, differences in our relationships, aśraddhā in our hearts, opening the mind to anger, jealousy and fear - are low. Our low tendencies have to be combated by creating higher tendencies. Our low vasanas are exhausted if we walk the path of karma yoga. Through right action and service they can be eliminated. We are habituated to laziness, postponing things, doing our work in a shoddy manner, not paying full attention to the task in hand. Our tendencies will change, if we change our convictions. Our vision of life dictates the path we follow, the thoughts we think and the actions we perform. To change our vasanas we need to follow the vision of the Scriptures. When we have understood and are convinced of a value then we have fully imbibed it. It is not something physical that we can show. Arjuna was asked to fight the Mahabhrata war. To the untutored mind this is a violent action but the thinker knows it is non-violent. Arjun fought not for himself but for the cause of righteousness - herein lies the difference. He fought not with anger but with understanding. When the wind blows, it carries with it the fragrance of the flowers. From the honey we come to know which flowers the bees have visited to create the honey. Similarly our convictions dictate the quality of every thought and emotion. 8 Our thoughts get the fragrance of our convictions. If there is fear in them, they lack the depth of conviction and the presence of jealousy shows they lack spirituality. Hatred comes from the garbage can, not from a flower. If any of these emotions are present we must check our convictions and change them because though they cannot be seen, they dictate our emotions and thoughts. These in turn are responsible for our actions. Some of our convictions are irrational. For example, we condone violence simply because we feel that the killing instinct should be present. There is no rationale behind this. We need to check our value systems and ascertain the convictions we hold regarding non-violence, non-hoarding, truthfulness, non-stealing and self-control. How do we relate to humility? Do we consider it a sign of weakness or do we understand its value? We often speak of sādhus in a degrading manner. We need to cultivate the nobler virtues of humility, love and compassion and understand their value. We have to fight our lower tendencies. If we are convinced that non-forgiveness is not right then we must work with determination for forgiveness. After tackling the low tendencies within we can work towards removing the evils of the family, the society and the nation at large. Our individual tendencies are reflected in the family, the society and consequently the nation. Some families are habituated to laziness and procrastination and this leads to speaking of untruths and other related evils. In our own society we had the evils of satī and untouchability to combat. Lack of civic sense, ill health, poverty and illiteracy bind us even today. Where are our national and international leaders taking us? They have no clear picture or goal. We are aimlessly dedicated to increasing consumerism and sensual pleasures with no higher aim or goal in life. Every now and then great Mahātmās have struggles to turn the direction of the world. Shankaracharya came to redeem a decadent society. Pujya Gurudev’s life was dedicated to creating an awareness of our glorious culture and helping to transform the lives of people. During the Mahabharata era Bhagavān Himself had to take Avatār to change the trends towards adhārma. Bhagavān’s blessing along with powerful minds and sacrifices are required to rectify low value systems in society. So beginning from ourselves, the family, the society, the nation and the world we have to serve and bring about a transformation.

CONTINUED IN NEXT ISSUE 9 The Glory of Samnyāsa In Buddhism as well as in , saṁnyāsa and solitary life were treated at one time as most worthy of reverence. Some historians maintain, with sound reason, that saṁnyāsa gained such firm hold on Hinduism, which was previously devoted to a life of Vedic rites, sacrifices and action, as a result of imitating Buddhist practices and ideas. Even as many educated moderns criticize the renunciation of action, various schools of thought in the distant past also had found fault with saṁnyāsa as unscientific and improper. For example, there were the integrationists (Sāmucya Vādis) who argued vehemently that, even conceding knowledge of to be the means of liberation, such knowledge should go hand in hand with action towards the goal, and that there is nothing essentially irreconcilable between them. The people of this way of thinking were totally opposed to the renunciation of action, but the advocates of saṁnyāsa easily tore their arguments to shreds. In support of their contention, the champions of renunciation pointed out that a mere statement of the fact that “I am Brahman” is not tantamount to the realization of Brahman. That Brahman

BY SWAMI TAPOVANAM (from The Journey called Life, Mananam Series, 2001) 10 can be realized only through long and arduous discipline of both body and mind, in peaceful solitude. That is, in the case of people immersed day in and day out in the belief that “I am the body” it is by no means easy to dispel the perverse notion, by occasionally repeating, “I am Brahman.” Therefore, the stage of saṁnyāsa wherein there is complete renunciation of desire and total avoidance of excitement, is indispensable to all true seekers of Brahman. To the enlightened who abide in Brahman, saṁnyāsa is a matter of course. The truth is, they have already become Brahman. Abidance in Brahman is the unbroken flow of mental molds formed by Brahman. The mind is engaged in a state of samādhi, how can the concept of body and other objects extraneous to the Ātman arise in it? Concepts of Ātman and of the non-Ātman cannot exist in the mind at the same moment. How can there be activities connected with the body in the absence of a strong attachment to such objects? As the enlightened ones abiding in spiritual knowledge (jñāna) are beyond the reach of activities, saṁnyāsa comes to them quite spontaneously. The advocates of saṁnyāsa, therefore, argue that during the stage of preparatory practice saṁnyāsa, in the form of the renunciation of action is indispensable, in the stage of attainment it becomes natural, that karma and jñāna cannot therefore exist in the same person at the same time. That the karma of Janaka and Vidura was merely the reflection of it and that only worldly people obsessed with the idea of sense enjoyment oppose the idea of saṁnyāsa. It is hardly worth stating that Buddhism also insists upon monasticism and solitude as indispensable devices for preventing the perpetual flow of the senses and the mind toward sensuous pleasures and for weaning them to the quiet performance of spiritual duties. And that the wise prevalence of monasticism in Buddhist countries such as Tibet is the result of such insistence. Practical-minded men have often asked in the past and still continue to ask, “Of what use to this world full of action, sustained by action, and propelled by action, are the saṁnyāsin who have renounced the world and its activities to live immersed in samādhi and bhajan?” To this question the saṁnyāsin’s answer is quite simple. Their very state of non-action is in itself a mighty blessing to the world. More than all the learned disquisition of erudite scholars, more than all their profound treatises, the liberation (nirvikalpa samādhi) of a saṁnyāsin touches the heart of humanity and elevates it to a higher plane. His desire less non-action does greater good to the world than the swiftest and the most frantic activities of the revolutionaries. What is more saṁnyāsa is mightier than armies and is boundless as the sea. 11 TRUE DISPASSION

Yet there is nothing wrong if a householder, residing in his own house tries to realize Brahman, even as a saṁnyāsin does in his forest home. People of all castes and in all stages of life, in short, all human beings, are entitled to the enjoyment of spiritual bliss. It is their birthright. Spiritual The Ethos realization is not impracticable even in the vortex of worldly activities, provided one has the necessary mental strength. I am a saṁnyāsin, who has, after the acceptance of saṁnyāsa, made the Himalayas his abode, a great lover of solitude, engaged unintermittently in of the contemplation of the Paramātman. I am a firm believer in saṁnyāsa, not only as a desirable stage in human life, but as the holiest part of SPIRITUALITY it, one who looks upon saṁnyāsa as a miraculous means of converting worldly existence, which is generally regarded as sad and melancholy, into something full of bliss. I concede also that for certain people the very thought of the Soul is impossible until they have totally abandoned all distracting activities. That is all true, but in spite of all this I do not believe that householders are disqualified from leading a spiritual life or that people in various stages of life cannot meditate upon the Soul. In the midst of action, think of the Soul. Surrounded by wife, children, and grandchildren, still think of the Paramātman with devout love. Think, constantly, of the power that activates your hands and legs. Always use them to do things good and desirable. Do not allow yourself to be tempted by intoxicating wine. On the contrary, drink your fill of the Nectar of Life forever more and find everlasting Bliss! The śrutis and the smṛtis amply prove that in the past it was householders, more than saṁnyāsin, who worked in the field of philosophical thought. Indifference to worldly pleasures is the chief requisite for spiritual advancement. Whether a man dwells at home or in the forest, if he has dispassion (vaīrāgya) he is a saṁnyāsin. One may put on the saffron gown and go on mumbling the mantras, but he is no saṁnyāsin unless he has the true vaīrāgya. There seems to be nothing absurd in the idea of a householder (whether man or woman) immersing himself or herself in Divine thought even as the great rishis in their Himalayan ashrams did, provided he or she has the necessary discrimination (viveka) and dispassion.

12 The Ethos of SPIRITUALITY

What is spirituality? People think of spirituality as a kind of action. They carry visions of a person renouncing home and family, besmearing himself with vibhuti and doing japa or meditation in the Himalayas. At the outset I would like to dispel this notion of spirituality. Spirituality is not any special or particular action. It is performing every action in a special way. There is a difference in performing a particular action and doing the action in a special way. Suppose you are introduced to a great vocalist or singer you can immediately ask him to sing for you. Similarly a painter can display his prowess through a painting, a yoga expert through yoga asanas and an instrumentalist through playing his instrument. These are all particular actions. But if you were to meet someone who is described as a man of integrity, character or honesty, how would you ask him to display his character or honesty, how would you ask him to display his character traits? Could you possibly ask him to show his honesty or integrity? Is integrity a kind of activity, or is integrity reflected through the person’s every action? Honesty is not a particular action but every action must be done with honesty. The honesty of an honest person would be reflected in his every thought, word and action.

BY SWAMI TEJOMAYANANDA (from Ponder Awhile, by Swami Tejomayananda, Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, 2009) 13 Be he an administrator or a clerk, the prime minister or an accountant, a well dressed or a poorly dressed person, one can be a very great spiritual person, because spirituality lies not in doing something special but in doing all we do with a vision. Spirituality is a vision or an understanding of life and is indeed a great adventure. Honesty as a value has changed its definition over the years. Let me share with you the current definition of honesty. An honest man is he who takes a bribe and does your job, the logic being that he could have taken the bribe and still not done the job! Unfortunately our moral standards are falling, but this cannot change the definition of honesty. Honesty, integrity and character are different and so also is spirituality. There is an inherent difference between the vision of a spiritual and a materialistic person. The thinking of worldly people is always fragmented, not holistic and so — incomplete. Faced with problems, they focus on particular aspects arriving at solutions without taking the totality into account. If attention is not paid to the problem in its entirety, the solution is also partial and works only for a short time. We see this clearly in the governance of many countries. They are often run on an ad hoc basis. We rarely think seriously about anything and prefer resorting to ad hoc solutions. Most people would agree with a worldly man’s thinking that, “might is right”. A spiritual person, would say the very opposite — for him it would be “right is might.” With which of these two would you agree? Commonly, he who has the might — physical, financial, military or political clout — wields power and therefore his word is final. Most people would go with the tide, but there are some brave few, who have the courage to stand by

14 their convictions. While mighty empires have bitten the dust, it is these few who have stood by their ideals and so achieved immortality. Be it a person, culture or society, in the end, right alone prevails. Stories from the Puranas, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana substantiate this truth. Hiranyakasipu was a mighty king, but it was his son Prahalad who was victorious and is remembered even today. The mighty British Empire was shaken by the might of a few so-called helpless Indians. The entire Roman Empire had to bow to the spiritual strength of Jesus Christ. In the end who was the winner? Which was immortalized and who was the conqueror — might or right? The superficiality or short-term glamour of power should not carry us away. Gains that come through unrighteous means and by muscle power are not lasting. There is one other point to be considered here. In the world we are told to fight for and remember our rights Nowadays we only hear of people fighting for their rights, whether it is women’s rights or laborers’ rights or the rights of the downtrodden. Spirituality gives you a different perspective — it teaches you to remember the rights people have over you and to forget the rights you have over others. I would call this being very adventurous, but others would consider this as submitting to subjugation — becoming a doormat. They do not understand the implied meaning behind this thought pattern. In spiritual life we only have duties and one who remains steadfast in the performance of his duties, automatically gains his rights and the authority that comes as a result. He does not have to fight for his rights. Those who constantly fight and struggle only end up creating more friction. History shows that great political, social or spiritual leaders did not have 15 to fight for their rights or leadership. The world gave it to them. We know that the voices of leaders like and Lokmanya Tilak became the voice of . How did this happen? They performed their duty or what they considered to be their duty to the best of their ability and the rest followed. I know of homes where domestic servants have served the family for many years, with devotion and dedication. Such servants have a stature or standing in the family they serve and are able to command even the family members. What are these rights they have and were they able to demand these rights or were they given to them? These are moral or spiritual rights that came to them by virtue of the dedication with which they performed their duties. When you respect the rights of others and go on doing your duties you command a position of strength. People automatically respect and consult you. You are then not a doormat for people to walk over, but rather you help them from a position of strength. You can experience the truth or efficacy of this reasoning in your own lives. All over the world, many are failing in their duties. They are busy fighting for their rights. They follow a policy of - I fight for my right and you fight for yours. When the neighbors or the police intervene, they fight with them, either separately or together! And this process goes on and on. Now, if people were to respect the rights of others and concentrate on the performance of their own duties, they would grow in stature, both spiritually and otherwise. History is replete with examples to prove the veracity of this.

16 If we compare the speech of an ordinary person and of a great person, we find a perceptible difference. Language is the medium through which we convey anything. Words have to be used to convey thoughts and ideas. Here we find that words used by different people convey different meanings. Ordinary people have to search for words to convey their thoughts, whereas events and happenings automatically follow the words of great people. The power behind their words makes things happen. Whenever people speak of spiritual life they entertain ideas of renunciation, dispassion (vairagya), sacrifice and sannyas. Generally these concepts are not liked. People often ask me whether I regret having become a sanyasi and are disappointed at my reaction. Not only am I free of regret but maintain that I would not give it up for anything in the world. People do not like the word ‘renunciation’. But is there anything we can achieve in this world without renunciation We may not like the word but no growth or accomplishment is possible without renunciation or sacrifice. If you hold onto your childhood, will you become a youth? To gain maturity you have to renounce your childishness. Play schools and primary schools are very attractive, but have to be renounced for higher education. Even a plant has to die for the tree to be born! If the knowledge you want is not available in your country, you may even have to leave your country and travel abroad. Following their search for spiritual knowledge foreigners leave their countries and come to India. These are simple examples but enough to show you that it is not possible to gain anything without giving up something. 17 If a seeker of knowledge, education and learning is also, constantly wanting pleasure and comfort, he or she cannot be a success. It would be like the man who wanted to climb Everest, but also wanted to be ever at rest. The grades of lazy comfort-lovers only follow a downward path. Like the boy who told his father that his grades were underwater — below “C” level! In a discussion with a youth group I asked them, “What is the secret of success?” “Bribe”, was one of the answers I received. We agree that such things are happening and that dishonesty does seem to flourish. Let us consider the vast difference between compromise and sacrifice. To give up higher values and ideals for lower gains is a compromise, and to renounce lower gains for higher goals is a sacrifice. The appearance of corrupt people being successful is very short lived. It seems that they do not have to renounce anything. But that is not true. They give up all the higher urges or values of life for lower gains. In sacrifice, one holds onto one’s ideals, bracing oneself against privation, poverty or even starvation. We may applaud people of achievement but we respect only men of renunciation and sacrifice. Who do we worship or respect — those who cling onto power or those who hand over the reins gracefully and retire? These parameters of respect hold true in all societies of the world. Everywhere, it is only men and women of sacrifice and never those of compromise, who have become ideals. Please do not think that spirituality is a kind of running away from life or that it is very difficult. Spirituality is a complete vision of life. It is 18 not a particular activity done specially, but every action done in a special way. We must act with the understanding of the totality of life, keeping in mind the long term consequences of our actions. The actions will then be more responsible and not ad hoc or impulsive. In this spiritual adventure, true importance lies in gaining a total vision of life and deciding every action keeping that in mind. said that just by doing one great action, a man does not become great. A great man is one who is great in every little action. The points to remember are: Firstly, honesty is not an action, but is reflected in every action. Secondly, the power of might gained through unfair means is only superficial. Might is not always right Thirdly, remember and respect the rights others have over you. You do not have to fight for your rights. In the diligent performance of your duties, your rights will come to you. Leadership is sustained by your inner strength. Leaders did not have to fight for their rights, nor did they have to search for leadership. Their strengths and qualities were recognized and the accolades followed. So more than our rights let us remember our duties and see what changes this brings about. Lastly there is no progress or success in any pursuit without renouncing something. It is our choice, whether we want to renounce the higher for the lower or vice versa. In spirituality, since we renounce the lower for the higher, the sky is the limit. But if we compromise, we go down-hill, because one compromise leads to another, eventually leading to insomnia and restlessness and even driving us to base and regretful actions. Life offers no choice on whether or not to renounce. The only decision is — what to renounce!

19 Friends of Swami Chinmayananda Friends and devotees share fond memories with us of their time with Gurudev.

SHIVARATRI MIRACLE

It was Shivaratri at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya in . Although Gurudev usually retired to his room in the evening, that night he had said: “I’ll come out at midnight and go to the temple. Whoever wants to come with me, come, but just remember one thing: Nobody should touch me!” Those who were there that night recall that when Gurudev came out of his room, he was “shining”, as though light were streaming from him. The brahmacharis and devotees who followed in his footsteps in their bare feet to the Jagadeeshwara Temple say that the spots where Gurudev had placed his feet were warm.”

( Extracted from Swami Chinmayanand As I Know Him, Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, 1997)

20 TAPOVAN PRASAD

A MONTHLY SPIRITUAL OF CHINMAYA MISSION WORLDWIDE

Published by Chinmaya Mission Worldwide

It is Internationally acclaimed Publication filled with articles and reports that are inspiring and educational. living all over the world keep in touch with their spiritual heritage through Tapovan Prasad. Annual Subscription by Airmail: US $25 (12 issues) Make checks payable to Tapovan Prasad, and mail to: Chinmaya Mission No.2, 13th Ave., Harrington Rd, Chetput, Chennai, 600 031, India 21 CHINMAYA STUDY GROUPS

1. Self Unfoldment 2. Tattva bodh 3. Bhaja Govindam 4. Atma bodh 5. Manah Shodhanam 6. Upadesa Saram 7. Narada Sutra 8. Meditation and Life 9. Introduction – Ch.1 & 2 10. Jnanasarah 11. Kenopanishad 12. Gita, Ch. 3 – 6 13. Dyanaswaroopam 14. Kaivalya Upanishad 15. Gita, Ch. 7 – 9 16. Isavasya Upanishad 17. Gita, Ch. 10 – 12 18. Bhakti Sudha 19. Gita, Ch. 13 – 15 20. Mundaka Upanishad 21. Gita, Ch. 16 – 18 22. Sat Darshan 23. Vivekachoodamani

Vedanta Study Groups held in the Bay Area are listed in this issue of Chinmaya Tej and you may contact them if you wish to join a Study Group. 22 ADULT CLASSES

FREMONT

SATURDAYS 2pm-3pm: Video discourses on Bhagavad Gita, Ch. 10 by Swami Chinmayananda SAN RAMON

SATURDAYS 4:30-6:00pm: Video discourses Bhagavad Geeta, Ch. 3 & 4 By Swami Chinmayananda SAN JOSE

SATURDAYS 1:45pm - 2:55pm: Video discourses Bhagavad Geeta, Ch. 2 By Swami Chinmayananda

SUNDAYS 9:05am – 10:15am: Video discourses on By Swami Chinmayananda 10:45am – 11:55am: Video discourses on Bhagavad Geeta By Swami Tejomayananda 1:45pm – 2:5opm: Video discourses on Bhagavad Geeta By Swami Tejomayananda

Shiva Abhisheka & Puja at Chinmaya Sandeepany / San Jose Conducted by mission members Every 2nd Monday of the month: 7:30-8:30 pm 23 LANGUAGE & BALA VIHAR/ YUVA KENDRA CLASSES

We have over 2,100 children enrolled in our program, from our three centers, since enrollment started 1980 school year. I wish to thank all the volunteer Teachers, Co-Teachers and Youth Helpers teaching and assisting in the different classes. It takes more than teachers to organize these programs at Chinmaya/Sandeepany, Fremont Washington High, and California High School. Parent Volunteers and CMSJ Volunteers organize setting up, Book Store, Snacks, Lecture Halls etc. OUR SINCERE THANKS TO EVERY ONE OF THE MANY DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS. Adult video courses are also offered during Bala Vihar sessions. The Parking Lot is on Hickerson Drive, and you can walk from the parking lot to the classrooms. We are currently using 25 classrooms in several sessions. I appreciate all the efforts of the parents, some of you are driving your children from as far North as Redwood City to San Jose. You will find it very rewarding as you see your children grow up with Hindu Heritage, moulding them into young adults. We want the best for our children. All parents will receive email announcements with regard to changes. For each location, an in-depth schedule is posted on cmsj.org, or call the contact listed. 24 BERKELEY Contact: Venkatesh Srinivasan / [email protected] Albany Community Center / 1249 Marin Ave., Albany, CA 94706 LANGUAGE & Saturdays: 8:30am - 9:30am — Bala Vihar classes Please see cmsj.org for detailed class timings BALA VIHAR/ FREMONT Contact: Lakshmi Prakash / [email protected] YUVA KENDRA Washington High School / 38442, Fremont Blvd., Fremont, CA 94536 Saturdays: 9:15am - 4:10pm — Bala Vihar classes Please see cmsj.org for detailed class timings CLASSES SAN JOSE Sukanya Ramachandran / [email protected] Chinmaya Sandeepany / 10160 Clayton Road, San Jose Saturdays: 12:30pm - 4:00pm, & Sundays: 8:00am - 4:00pm — Bala Vihar classes Please see cmsj.org for detailed class timings SAN RAMON Contact: Meena Kapadia / [email protected] California High School / 9870 Broadmoor Drive, San Ramon, CA 94583 Saturdays: 2:00pm - 6:00pm — Bala Vihar classes Please see cmsj.org for detailed class timings SAN MATEO Contact: Ruchita Parat / [email protected] Aragon High School / 900 Alameda de Las Pulgas, San Mateo, CA 94402 Sundays: 1:00pm - 4:05pm— Bala Vihar classes Please see cmsj.org for detailed class timings GITA CHANTING CLASSES FOR CHILDREN

FREMONT: Washington High School / Contact: [email protected] Saturdays: 12:45pm - 1:30pm (all levels)

SAN JOSE: Chinmaya Sandeepany / Contact: [email protected] Saturdays: 12:30pm - 1:00pm (level 1 through 4) Sundays: 8:30am - 9:00am (level 3 and level 4) 9:40am - 10:10am (level 1 and level 2) 10:45am - 11:15am (level 3 and level 4) 12:30pm - 1:00pm (level 1 and level 2 only) 1:00pm - 1:30pm (level 3 and level 4)

SAN RAMON: California High School / Contact: [email protected] Sundays: 3:15pm - 4:15pm (level 1 to level 3)

SAN MATEO: Aragon High School / Contact: [email protected] Sundays: 1:00pm - 1:30pm 25 VEDANTA STUDY GROUPS

BERKELEY Upadesa Sara, Sevak-Venkatesh Srinivasan Prashant Jawalikar: [email protected]; 8:00pm Thursday

CAMPBELL Kathopanishad, Sevak-Venkatesh Srinivasan Uma Srinivasan: [email protected]; 4:30pm Saturday

CONCORD Self Unfoldment, Sevika-Meena Kapadia Meena Kapadia: [email protected]; 4:00pm Wednesday

CUPERTINO Yoga Vasishta Sara, Sevak-Ram Mohan Ram Mohan: [email protected]; 7:30pm Thursday Vivekachudamani, Sevak-Jignesh Joshi Geetha Rao: [email protected]; 8:00PM Fridays

FREMONT Bhagavad Geetha II, Sevak-Prabhakar V. Ravi Parthsarathy: [email protected]; 6:30am Sunday

LOS GATOS Self Unfoldment, Sevak-Sandeep Tiwari Sandeep Tiwari: [email protected]; 4:30pm Saturday

MILPITAS Vivekachudamani, Sevika-Suma Venkatesh Suma Venkatesh: [email protected]; 7:45pm Wednesday

REDWOOD CITY Bhagavad Geeta, Sevak-Jayarami Reddy; Rashmi Kapur: [email protected]; 7:30pm Friday

SAN JOSE - CHYK Art of Man Making, Sevak-Keshav Venkat; Keshav Venkat: [email protected]; 7:30pm Wednesday & 10am Sunday

26 Classes held weekly unless otherwise stated. ADULT SESSIONS

SAN JOSE - EVERGREEN , Sevak-Ramana Vakkalagadda Ramana Vakkalagadda: [email protected]; 8:00pm Friday

SAN JOSE - WEST Upadesa Sara, Sevak-Jayarami Reddy; Krishna Kumari Reddy: [email protected]; 8:00pm Wednesday

SAN RAMON Kathopanishad, Sevika-Bela Pandya; Sireesha Balabhadra: [email protected]; 7:00pm Wednesday Bhagavad Geeta, Sevika-Shivani Pandey; Anil Pandey: [email protected]; 7:00pm Friday

SAN RAMON CAL HIGH Vivekachudamani, Sevak-Vipin Kapadia; Meena Kapadia: [email protected]; 3:15pm Saturday

SARATOGA Kenopanishad, Sevak-Kamlesh Ruparel; Kirtida Ruparel: [email protected]; 8:00pm Thursday Bhagavad Geeta, Sevika-Kalpana Jaswa; Kalpana Jaswa: [email protected]; 7:30pm Thursday

SUNNYVALE Tattva Bodha, Sevak-Shrikrishna Bhamre; Suvarna Bhamre: [email protected]; 8:00pm Thursday

WALNUT CREEK Bhagavad Geeta, Sevak-Vipin Kapadia; Rakesh Bhutani: [email protected]; 9:30am Sunday

WHS, FREMONT Dakshinamoorthy Stotram, Sevika-Lakshmy Prakash; Lakshmy Prakash: [email protected]; 3:15pm Saturday

Classes held weekly unless otherwise stated. 27 SWARANJALI YOUTH CHOIR Those who are interested in joining the choir as a vocalist or BALVIHAR MAGAZINE musician please be in touch with the conatact for each event. Please note, however, that registration to just Swaranjali is not supported. Students have to be enrolled in and attend Bala Vihar/Yuva Kendra classes to be eligible to participate in Swaranjali. In other words, to register for Swaranjali, students must first register in Bala Vihar/Yuva Kendra classes and attend them.

FREMONT Choir sessions are held Saturdays 11:30am - 12:30pm VENUE: Washington High School / Fremont TEACHERS: Amrita Sekhar, Natana Valiveti, Rajashri Iyengar, Ranjana Subramanian & Sunita Gopal CONTACT: Natana Valiveti: [email protected] SAN JOSE Choir sessions are held Sundays 12:00pm - 1:30pm VENUE: Chinmaya Sandeepany / San Jose TEACHERS: Shubha Narsipur CONTACT: Shubha Narsipur: [email protected] SAN RAMON Choir sessions are held every Saturdays 2:00pm - 3:00pm VENUE: California High School 9870 Broadmoor Drive, San Ramon, CA 94583 TEACHER: Shrividhya CONTACT: Shrividhya: [email protected] 28 Just for Kids! Parents... This is a monthly magazine published by Central Chinmaya Mission, Mumbai for Children. It is packed with stories, puzzles, arts and craft ideas, children’s contributions of essays, riddles, games, and much more. You can subscribe to it directly. The annual subscription is $30 and you will receive it monthly by air. We suggest that you subscribe in your child’s name so your child will have the pleasure of receiving his or her own magazine from India. BALVIHAR MAGAZINE

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: Central Chinmaya Mission Trust MAIL TO: Central Chinmaya Mission Trust Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Saki Vihar Road, Mumbai 400 072, India

29 SEVA OPPORTUNITIES

Seva is action dedicated towards a higher ideal. Through Seva, the Sevak benefits the most by growing internally with a pure and quiet mind. The entire Universe functions on the principle of Seva. May we all dedicate our life for the same.

Chinmaya Mission provides opportunities for all members to participate in several Seva Activities in various Mission Centers including: HOMELESS FEEDING: Contact Shri Krishna Bhamre / [email protected] Breakfast Service: 2011 Little Orchard Street, San Jose, CA Lunch Service: Family Supportive Housing, 692 N. King Rd. San Jose, CA 95133 TIFFIN SERVICE: Help our own Chinmaya community by serving hot tea & snacks during Saturday/Sunday Bala Vihar sessions. Fremont contact: Padmanabha Nallur / [email protected] San Jose contact: Narayan Venkatachalam / [email protected] San Ramon contact: Arti Kapoor / [email protected] SLEEPING BAG DRIVE: Through donations we deliver from 20 to 250 sleeping bags to several locations San Jose to Livermore. At the distribution site, all are welcome; its especially informative for children to see and have contact with people in need. No limits on numbers of people that can show up for the distribution. Contact: Balaji Venkatraman / [email protected] FAMILY LUNCH BAG SERVICE: Provides a portable meal for shelters that cannot house and serve hot lunches. The bagged lunch consisting of a peanut-butter jelly sandwich, fruit, snack and juice is assembled by the volunteers and brought to a distribution center. Contact: Kalyani Penta / [email protected] YOUTH SANDWICH SERVICE: The program is driven by our Yuva Kendra volunteers. Yuva Kendra (high school) volunteers meet on the last Sunday of the month at the Bal Vihar location and prepare sandwiches to serve approximately 150 homeless people. Adult volunteers also are needed. Contact: Jayaram Reddy / [email protected] GIFT IN KIND DRIVE: Around Diwali time, we run a Community Service event for Oakland Children’s Hospital, in which YOU can help! Bring in school supplies corresponding to your grade. Please bring new or unused supplies only. Please bear in mind these are very sick children. San Jose contact: Priya Rajaram / [email protected] San Ramon Seva contact: Lakshmi Warrier / [email protected]

Note: Young volunteers can receive community service credit, please bring relevant form from your school on the day of service to get credit from the coordinator.

Please go to the cmsj.org website for additional details 30 regarding Community Service Seva Opportunities. RECEPTIVITY

The capacity to digest our experiences properly and effectively, and eke out for ourselves a better wisdom of man and things in the world, while living our life peacefully—is receptivity. A receptive mind alone can walk the path of progress in and through life and come to claim a progressive evolution year by year.

The faculty of Receptivity is the heritage of man and it is not the mischief of the Creator that one has this more than another. It is a question of our careful attention in developing it. The care and attention with which we must clear our inner weeds, prepare the soil and sow the right seeds. These are fulfilled when we have consciously developed our capacity to live in full awareness of our inner and outer worlds, and to intelligently gather for ourselves our own conclusions. This process is called “Receptivity”.

BY SWAMI CHINMAYANANDA From Our Culture at a Glance, Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, 2003 31 Swami Swaroopananda’s ITINERARY FALL/WINTER 2019

DATE LOCATION / EVENT PHONE

01 Nov - 04 Nov Chinmaya Vibhooti (91) 77740 22164 Kolwan, Pune 412 108 Take Time Off Win the Mind, Win the World 05 Nov - 05 Nov Chinmaya Sandeepany (91-22) 2803 4900 Powai Mumbai 400072 For Official Work 07 Nov - 08 Nov M K Rajasekhar Reddy (91) 92469 90099 Tirupathi 517 501 Andhra Pradesh Satsang 21 Nov - 27 Nov Chinmayaranyam Ellayapalli (91) 94402 26813 District 515 008 Andhra Pradesh Satsang 10 Nov - 12 Nov Chinmaya Srividyashramam (91) 94900 33413 Kadapa 516 002 Andhra Pradesh 13 Nov - 13 Nov Vijayakumar Reddy (91) 98485 63096 colony Kurnool 518 003 Andhra Pradesh Satsang 14 Nov - 14 Nov Adoni Chinmaya Cultural Complex (91) 94914 09909 Adoni 518 302 15 Nov - 15 Nov Chinmaya Mission (91) 94404 42466 Anantapur 515 004 Andhra Pradesh Satsang 16 Nov - 18 Nov Hampi (91) 94404 42466 Visit 21 Nov - 04 Dec Sandeepany Sadhanalaya (91-22) 2803 4900 Powai Mumbai 400 072 Vedanta Ramanam Pujya Guruji’s Camp 06 Dec - 10 Dec Shri Ram Baxani Dubai, UAE Jnana Yajna 12 Dec - 17 Dec Reserved 18 Dec - 24 Dec Chinmaya Internat’l Residential School (91-422) 2613 415 641 114 24X7 Gobal Junior CHYK Camp 25 Dec - 31 Dec Chinmaya Internat’l Residential School (91-422) 2613 415 Coimbatore 641 114 Bhakti Sutra Global CHYK Camp 32 "The world, even if you try to hold on to it, will slip away; God, even if you want to leave Him, will not abandon you." SWAMI CHINMAYANANDA, "Read Daily, Live Fully"

JOIN THE CHINMAYA FAMILY AS A SPONSOR:

We invite you to join our Membership program so that you can help us to promote, sustain and continue to teach adults and children alike, the Hindu Dharma which is our Heritage. Chinmaya Mission began its service to the Hindu Community some 30 years ago in the Bay Area. We are funded by public contributions. Your contribution, as a Member, goes towards the operation of Sandeepany. Many families who are taking part in the various classes that we offer to adults and children, have enrolled themselves as Members. They enjoy many benefits and become an integral part of the spiritual family at Sandeepany. Membership is an annual contribution of $500 per family. Members receive the Tej newsletter. The MANANAM series is published by Chinmaya Mission West. For subscription information please contact: John Haring at [email protected] Chinmaya Mission West 83900 CA-271, Piercy, CA 95587 (707) 207-5011

UNITED WAY CONTRIBUTIONS Your contributions to United Way can now be designated to Chinmaya Mission San Jose (United Way I.D. No 212100). The Mission is enrolled to receive such contributions with the United Way Agency in Santa Clara. CHINMAYA FAMILY WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. Non-Profit Chinmaya Mission / San Jose Organization U.S. Postage Sandeepany San Jose PAID Piercy, CA 10160 Clayton Road San Jose, CA 95127 Ph. (408) 254-8392 CMSJ.org

If travelling South on 101 Follow US-101 S to E Capitol Expressway in San Jose. Take the Capitol Expressway exit from I-680 N. Follow E Capitol Expressway and Story Rd to 10160 Clayton Rd.

If travelling South on 280 Follow South 280 to E Capitol Expressway in San Jose. Take the exit for Capitol Expressway from I-680 N. Follow E Capitol Expressway and Story Rd to 10160 Clayton Rd.

If travelling South on 880 Take US-101 S to E Capitol Expy in San Jose. Take exit for Capitol Expressway from I-680 N. Follow E Capitol Expressway and Story Rd to 10160 Clayton Rd.

If travelling South on 680 Take the exit for Capitol Expressway from I-680 Follow E Capitol Expressway and Story Rd to 10160 Clayton Rd. DIRECTIONS TO SANDEEPANY SAN JOSE SAN SANDEEPANY TO DIRECTIONS